Do You Remember?
by hyperpsychomaniac
Summary: Set after the end of the first season. Some months later, the pirates find and capture Diwan, however, she doesn't seem to understand why they think her a criminal. In fact, she doesn't seem to even remember who they are.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **Set after the return of Mila and the events of the last episode. I'd always wondered whether it was intended that Diwan survived after she fell from the Saint Nazaire. Honestly, I think they were just leaving their options open. This is what happens when Diwan survives, and the pirates find her.

* * *

**Do you remember?**

The radio transmission had been fuzzy, but Cortes had heard Wayan well enough to comprehend that his crew had caught a Guardian. Wayan had seemed calm; apparently she wasn't making any attempt to escape. Still, Wayan had sounded a little confused, and Cortes guessed that the Sphere Agent's apparent disinterest in escape was the cause. That made Cortes nervous, on top of simply having a Guardian on his ship.

He opened the door to his cabin. Mila, Wayan and the Vector were all in there, along with the female Guardian, sitting apparently calm on a chair in the centre of the room. She had short cropped hair, and under her left sleeve could be made out the gleam of metal, which disappeared under a single white leather glove. She had a prosthetic arm, and was making some small attempt to hide it.

Cortes took one look at her. "Lock her up," he snarled, instinctively putting a hand to his side arm.

"It's okay, Cortes," said the Vector. "I don't think she is going to try anything."

"Oh, really? And what exactly makes you think that!" Cortes growled, eyeing the seated woman warily.

"I've got her covered Cortes," Mila reassured him, backing up the Vector.

"I don't care. Get her _out_ of my cabin..."

"But I haven't done anything!" the woman protested, almost getting up out of the chair. "I don't even know what you're accusing me of, or if I did..."

"Okay, take it easy..." said Wayan, raising a palm towards her to indicate she should calm down.

Mila's hands glowed ever so slightly, but she made no move towards the Guardian. It was a simple passive precaution.

Cortes couldn't understand his crew's lack of concern. She could easily have blasted them in less than a second after the slight movement. "Take it easy?!" he growled at Wayan. He turned to the woman. "And you haven't done anything?! You know how many people I've lost to you and your Sphere!? You're a murderer at best, Diwan!"

"Cortes," said the Vector, cutting into the silence that followed. The silence that Cortes expected to be filled by Diwan's sneer and defence of her chosen side. "She says she doesn't remember..."

Cortes stared at the Vector, and then turned his gaze back to Diwan.

She seemed un-angered by his attack, instead just staring back at him, eyes wide. She wet her lips, and then carefully spoke. "You... you know my name?"

----

"She slipped out of my hand. I thought she was dead."

Dahlia stood with Cortes, arms folded, outside the secure room in Puerto Angel's medical facility. She had told of what happened with her fight with Diwan before, but in little detail. Cortes had assumed she was a little confused over her attempt to save the Guardian, and possibly about her failure to do so. Now Dahlia had filled him in on what she knew of Diwan's apparent last moments.

"She must have landed on a bloc, or used her powers," mused Cortes. "She obviously survived. The doctors say her whole left arm has been replaced. She's also got some recently healed fractures. That much is no trick."

"But you're still not sure if she's really lost her memory? It is possible. She could've hit a bloc, been hurt and lost her memory. Oslo may have left her; someone else may very easily have found her."

"The 'good Samaritan' she says took her to a hospital and got her arm replaced? Those types are very lacking in Skyland, Dahlia. And that story is very convenient," Cortes huffed.

"It could also be true. I don't know about you, Sir, but I can't see Diwan pulling off being as... well, 'nice' as she seems to be now. Not without being unable to remember everything the Sphere taught her."

Cortes glanced across at Dahlia for a moment.

She couldn't help feeling as if she was being scrutinised. Was she being too sympathetic? She had felt bad about not being able to stop Diwan falling. But her point of view logically made sense: Diwan hadn't yelled or sneered at anyone since arriving. She'd simply done what she had been asked, with little complaint. And seemed curious every time someone had mentioned something that could link to her past life. She simply wasn't acting like Diwan. And Dahlia doubted Diwan knew how to act.

Cortes finally stopped staring, turning back to look at the closed door in front of them. "She's still the same person, lost memory of not. And that..." he nodded towards the door, "is something we'll find out for certain soon."

----

"She has no memory of her past life, Cortes," insisted the Vector. "I can categorically confirm it."

"You did every test you could think of?"

"Yes."

"You can't do anymore?"

"None that would not be unnecessarily invasive, no."

Cortes appeared to think for a moment.

"That you cannot justify, Cortes. I know you trust my judgement. And I am thoroughly convinced; she has no memory from before she woke up hurt on that bloc."

Cortes scowled. "Alright. She has no memory. But is she safe?"

"She's still a Seijin. But she seems unsure exactly how to use her powers. She can perform simply actions like moving objects. I don't believe that is dangerous, no."

"She could learn. She's still the same person, Vector. Even without those memories."

"Are you sure?" the Vector asked, looking at the Captain hard. "A person is not just what their DNA defines them as. If you believe that, you'd be throwing Seijins and Guardians in the same boat like Patrucci does. People are the sum of their memories and experiences. What if Diwan had never become a Guardian? Would she have done the horrible things she has? This could be a second chance for her."

"Aye, but to do what? I'm not comfortable, Vector. She's still a Guardian. What if those memories came back? What if she reverts to what caused her to join the Sphere in the first place? She could be dangerous; I can't just let her run around the bloc unsupervised."

"You can't imprison her for something she doesn't remember doing."

"I'd be imprisoning her to keep people safe," Cortes growled.

"You don't know that she would cause trouble. That wouldn't be fair."

"It wouldn't be fair if I put the bloc in danger," Cortes snapped. He paused, and looked at the Vector. Then he gave up; he needed to ask for help. "What do you think I should do, Vector? And don't you dare make it sound easy."

The Vector thought. "I think you should go talk to her. Make a judgement for yourself. Something is different, Cortes, believe me."

"Alright," Cortes sighed, shaking his head. The Vector was right there at least. He would at least be able to know himself whether he felt it was safe to let her out. Or if he was justified to keep her locked up. And if he felt he had to do that, then he would, fair to her or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Diwan sat on her simple bed, staring at the wall in front of her. Someone had written a few not particularly pleasant phrases there. She ignored them, and shifted over to the wall. They'd also left a small piece of chalk. She picked it up, and wrote on the wall.

'Diwan.'

That was her name. The people that had found her had given her the name 'Catherine', but to be honest she hadn't liked it that much. She had just accepted it, because she knew it wasn't her real name. Once she found out her real name, she wouldn't need to use it anymore. And now she had.

"Diwan..." she whispered. She liked it. It was better than Catherine.

"I hope you didn't write that."

Diwan jumped.

The pirate Captain was standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame and watching her.

"Only my name."

"Right."

"You don't trust me, do you?" she said, frowning.

"No... not really," Cortes said simply.

"I think I can understand why. You think I'm a Guardian. I've heard about them."

"You _were_ a Guardian," Cortes clarified. "I'm willing to work with the assumption that you're not now."

"But only because of the tests."

"Yeah."

Diwan said nothing, and Cortes closed the door behind him.

"You've locked yourself in."

"I've locked you in."

The two paused, just watching each other for a moment.

"How much do you know about me?" Diwan asked. The silence had begun to make her uncomfortable, all the more because she wasn't sure what the Captain was thinking.

"Too much."

"That's not an answer," she scowled. "Are you here just to harass me?"

"No. I'm looking for a reason to let you out of this cell."

She paused, looking at him as she thought that over. "I think you're looking for a reason to keep me in."

"Okay," said Cortes, gathering his thoughts before he responded sharply. He came and sat next to Diwan on the edge of the bed, and stared at her hard. "Then give me a reason that makes me want to let you out."

Diwan opened her mouth, and then shut it. "Actually, I don't know."

"That's of little help to you..." Cortes scowled.

Diwan picked a point on the opposite side of the small room, and stared at it. "I don't remember anything, I swear. Nothing before waking up in hospital. I was told I was found hurt and unconscious on a bloc, obviously had fallen from a height. When I recovered I started searching to find out more about my past. It didn't take me long to get this far, though I found out nothing until I found your ship. Then all I know is you pirates accuse me of being a Guardian, of doing all these things I can't even remember... you haven't even told me exactly what, so I don't know!" She had been getting more frustrated as she continued; now she was close to yelling. But it wasn't the same kind of yelling Cortes was used to from the times he'd dealt with Diwan. It seemed more desperate, and less angry or condescending. "You expect me to defend myself, but I don't even know what I've done! Maybe you're right, I was an evil person. But I don't think I am now. I don't have the desire to hurt anyone... What have I done? What have the Sphere done?" she asked, looking hard at Cortes.

Cortes stared back at her. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"No," Diwan growled. Things were being hidden from her, and she was angry about it.

Cortes let his gaze drift across the small room, deciding exactly what he should reveal. "I've seen the Sphere kill people." He looked back at her. "I've seen you kill people." For a moment, he almost regretted saying that, just from the look on Diwan's face.

"So... I was part of the Sphere. And I killed people..."

"I never saw you kill someone personally," said Cortes, and then wondered why he was trying to make her feel better. "But you led attacks that resulted in people dying. You've ordered Brigadiers to quell 'rebellions'. And they killed people..." he trailed off.

"I'm not that same person now. I remember none of that."

"That much was proved by the Vector's tests. But you're still that same person, Diwan. I'm not sure I trust you to enough to risk you returning to the Sphere. At least for now." He stood up off the small bed.

Diwan watched him, but could think of no response. What if he were right? She believed him when he told that the Sphere had killed people - that she had killed people. She could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke of it. The man wasn't lying in order to confuse her, or for any other reason she could think of.

He stood at the door to the cell now. He'd tapped on the small window and asked the guard to let him out. The key could now be heard clattering in the lock.

"Cortes..." said Diwan. "Whatever I've done... I know I can't remember, but... I'm sorry."

Cortes glanced over his shoulder, squinting slightly. He looked confused. Then the door was open, and he slipped out, giving no clue as to whether the apology had been accepted or how much value he placed in it.

Diwan sighed, and looked again at her piece of chalk. She had killed people. She had worked for the Sphere. But that was all in her past, and she would not fall to those evils again. She promised herself.

----

Cortes sat on the bridge of the Saint Nazaire. The radio crackled in the background, playing a Sphere news feed. Nothing of interest was being reported, and Cortes wasn't really listening anyway.

The visit with Diwan had disturbed him, but not in the way he had expected. He had gone looking for some sign, even if it was just a feeling of uneasiness within himself, that Diwan was not as innocent as she seemed. But the Vector's tests had proven the memory loss true. And after his conversation with her, Cortes wasn't as sure as he had been that Diwan carried the same traits he'd associated with her before she'd lost her memory.

The only logical explanation was that she told the truth. Not just about the memory loss, but also that she had no desire to hurt anybody. Cortes pictured the facial expression she'd worn when he'd told her she'd killed people. He was sure that couldn't be faked. This Diwan truly abhorred the thought that she could do such things, and that the Sphere still did them.

What worried him was what might happen if she found out more information, was swung back to the Sphere's point of view, and returned to them. If he let her loose on the bloc she could pick up information that would be invaluable to the Sphere, and that could result in the discovery that Puerto Angel was a pirate bloc. They could find Lena, Mila and the other harboured Seijins there. They could get information on the growing power of the rebellion and what blocs had joined since Mila's return. It would be irresponsible of him to release her if there was even the _slightest_ chance she would take information back to the Sphere. He still thought that chance was more than slight.

But a part of him found her so curious to learn more about herself, and yet not wanting to embrace what she had been again. She had obviously heard things about the Sphere since her memory loss, and seemed to be building a picture she didn't like.

Cortes almost wanted to give her that second chance the Vector had spoken of.

He blinked, and repeated that thought to himself again. Was he letting his emotions get the better of him? _Which emotions? _he asked himself. Diwan certainly seemed sincere, as did her apology. That, no matter how many times he thought about it again, or tried to twist it in his mind, seemed sincere.

At this point in time, Cortes decided, Diwan was safe. She definitely had memory loss, and he was fairly certain she didn't like what she'd heard about her former self and the Sphere. But that could change. And he still couldn't let her out, if even for the fear it may cause.

Perhaps they could take her to a neutral bloc, someplace where she couldn't find her way back to Puerto Angel. Until then, however, Cortes was going to tell her as much about the Sphere as he could. If the Vector was right, and it was more her experiences with the Sphere that had turned her into who she'd been, then perhaps a true view of the Sphere's actions might set her on the right track.

And then, there was always the scant possibility she would remember something they could use against the Sphere.

----

"He doesn't trust you, you know."

Diwan sat bolt upright in her small bed. It was dark, she'd been sleeping, and the moon was now high in the sky and streaming moonlight in through her small grated window.

She thought she'd heard a voice. But it must have just been a dream.

Suddenly, something formed in the moon beam in front of her. It looked like someone was standing there, only it had to be a trick of the light; they seemed almost transparent.

The figure gained some solidity, and smiled at her. It was a smile that sent a chill up her spine. The figure was a man, about in his mid thirties. He was bald, and wearing a white Sphere uniform.

"Are you real?" she asked.

"Real enough for your purposes," the man answered.

Diwan relaxed slightly. She wasn't exactly sure if she should trust him, but she didn't feel threatened either. "Why are you here? _How_ are you here?"

"Relax, you're just dreaming," he smirked. "I'm just here to offer a suggestion. Cortes, he doesn't really trust you."

"I don't really blame him," Diwan replied. "I think it's more a case he doesn't trust the Sphere." Her eyes trailed down to his chest, looking at his uniform, and the Sphere insignia.

"You're imagining someone you knew from your past. When you worked for the Sphere. The uniform means nothing," the figure explained.

Diwan nodded, but she couldn't help thinking the man was reining in some amount of anger at her distrust.

"Cortes does not trust you. Not enough. You want to be let out of this prison, don't you? Otherwise he'll just keep you in here until you rot."

"I don't think he would do something that extreme..."

"Extreme or not," the man snapped, "you will not have your freedom. That is something you want, yes?"

Diwan nodded again. "I just don't know how to convince Cortes I'm not going to go back to the Sphere."

The man scowled. "That's what I can help you with," he spat out. "Are you prepared to listen?"

Diwan thought for the briefest of moments. "Yes. I'm prepared..."

"I thought as much," the man smiled again. He pointed to her left arm. "Look at your prosthetic arm."

Diwan did so. She pulled off the leather glove, and pulled up her sleeve to her elbow. The metal gleamed in the moonlight. It was a similar colour to the metal the Brigs were made of, but thinner and lighter so she would actually be capable of lifting and manipulating it. She had learned to manipulate the hand about as easily as she had her real one. But the grip was stronger, and it had no feeling. She'd shattered a few glasses learning to pick things up. She looked at it, then back at the figure in front of her, waiting for further instructions.

"In the tip of your middle finger... look closely. You will see a small panel."

Diwan squinted. The moonlight didn't exactly provide the best light. "Yeah... I think I can..."

"Inside that is a small vial. It contains a drug that will make whoever you give it to far more open to your suggestions. Just imagine that finger injecting a small amount, and it will happen."

Diwan stared at her finger, and then jumped as a barely visible needle slipped out and spurted a small amount of liquid into the air.

"...just like that," the figure smirked.

"Is that really fair?" Diwan asked.

"Is it really fair they are keeping you locked up here?" the man countered. "Besides, you need only 'suggest' that he let you out. _You_ know you're not dangerous. Right?"

Diwan nodded, still looking at her hand. Somehow, she felt she was supposed to do what the man told her. And besides, it wouldn't _really_ hurt Cortes. When she looked back up, the figure was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Diwan had thought about the mysterious figure's proposal for two days. Some part of her still wanted to convince Cortes to let her out on his own accord. It did seem that he had softened towards her. He'd come to visit her, and he seemed to have stopped throwing her in with his misgivings towards the Sphere.

He had also allowed his crew to visit her as they wished. Dahlia had visited once, asking if she remembered any of her last moments before she fell. Diwan hadn't. Dahlia had briefly told of how they'd been fighting, and Diwan had fallen from the ship. She'd told her a bit more about her view of the Sphere as well. It seemed as if they trusted her enough to find it worthwhile to build on her already growing distrust of the Sphere. Those who had visited her at least. She didn't know what the rest of the bloc thought of her. Diwan didn't mind that, she just wanted to learn all she could. But they still didn't trust her enough to release her.

So she had decided, two days later as it neared sunset, she would try what the moonlit figure had suggested.

She didn't need to wait long, because Cortes came in soon after, carrying a tray of dinner. Actually, two dinners. He slid around the door, concentrating on balancing the tray, and then kicked the door shut.

Diwan couldn't help finding that slightly amusing. He looked so serious trying not to drop anything.

Cortes looked up and caught her smiling at him. "I brought your dinner..." he said, sounding a little confused. He couldn't understand why she was looking at him like that.

"I saw. Thanks."

He came and sat down next to her on the bed, resting the tray in his lap.

"Do I get to go outside yet?" Diwan asked, ignoring the food for now. She wasn't quite hungry yet.

Cortes sighed. She'd kept asking that for the past two days. "I told you, I can't do that."

"Because you don't trust me?"

"That doesn't matter either way. I still can't let you out."

"... because there's still a risk. And you can't put Puerto Angel at risk, no matter how small." She was repeating exactly what he'd said yesterday.

Cortes growled, and looked down at the food. Somehow, he didn't feel so hungry now either.

"You keep telling me all this stuff about the Sphere. About how terrible they are. You trust me enough to know I'm open to hearing all that, but you don't trust me enough to even let me go outside!"

"Look, I'm sorry..." said Cortes. He wouldn't say it out loud yet, but a part of him _wanted_ to let her out. He still knew the importance of protecting Puerto Angel. But he could let her out, and supervise her the whole time... He shut that thought down. He still couldn't risk it. He was too used to mistrusting the Sphere. And despite Diwan's different clothes and almost completely changed personality, he still couldn't help thinking of her, every once in awhile, as still part of the Sphere. The small risk that she might actually turn back was greatly magnified by the consequences of what would happen if that small risk became true.

Diwan frowned at him, though he avoided her gaze. It appeared he did feel bad about not letting her out. Convincing him to do so wouldn't really hurt him that much. It would get him to trust her just that little bit more, and that was something Diwan found herself wanting.

Before she really realised it, she found herself reaching out her left hand. "You've got a wasp on your shoulder..." She brushed against his sleeve.

Cortes jumped. "Ow! Damn it!" He nearly spilled the tray in the process.

"I guess I missed it..." muttered Diwan, feeling just a little bit guilty.

Cortes growled, rubbing his shoulder and looking around as if he might still spot the offending insect. "Where'd it go... arh..."

Diwan watched him. How long was that stuff supposed to take affect? She didn't know. "Cortes..." she tried. "I know it's hard for you to trust me. But I promise I won't do anything. I don't _want_ to do anything. It's getting dark, I can't use my Seijin powers, if I even knew how. You can handcuff me to you if you want... but can I please go outside? Just for a little bit?"

"I told you..." Cortes started to say, but then he stopped and blinked a couple of times. "I..." he squinted, then leaned forward and squeezed the bridge of his nose like he had a headache. "Arh... I've had a long day... sorry. I want to trust you, Diwan..." He growled and squinted again.

Diwan gritted her teeth. She hoped she hadn't hurt him. "I just want to go outside. Will you take me?"

"I..." Cortes stopped and sighed. "I don't see why not. You can't do anything when it's dark." He smiled. Somehow, agreeing to Diwan's request almost seemed to make his headache go away. Perhaps he just felt better for doing the right thing. He stood up, setting the dinner tray aside. "I'll be back in a moment. I'd better get some handcuffs or something so that I've got some control over you... just so we don't frighten anyone..." he quickly clarified.

"Sure..." Diwan smiled. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned the handcuffs; he'd obviously taken her up on _that_ suggestion as well. At least she was getting to go outside, and that was a start at least.

Within a few minutes, Cortes had returned, and they stepped out into the evening air together. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, but the twilight provided enough light for a walk.

"This bloc is beautiful..." said Diwan, after a few moments.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess it is..." Cortes replied. They'd only walked a little ways, and still weren't out of the main village. "At least we're safe from the Sphere out here." He hadn't really been thinking about the beauty. Of course, he saw Puerto Angel everyday. He'd been thinking more about the looks they'd both been getting from a few of the residents. None of them had seemed downright nasty, but a few people had looked a little wary. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea.

"They don't take your water out here?"

"The Sphere don't often come looking for water tax, no. It's too far out for them to bother most of the time. And they know a lot of outlying blocs don't have much water anyway." He snorted. "Not that they'd care if they took what little water we have."

"It doesn't seem so..." Diwan mused. "Everything I've heard about the Sphere... no one I'd met out here before being captured by you seems to like them. Everyone distrusts them to some extent..."

"They're power hungry, Diwan. They don't care what happens to anyone in Skyland, provided they stay in control."

"Hey, Cortes!"

Cortes turned around, brushing his hand against Diwan's as he did so. The handcuffs meant they were stuck close together. Cortes didn't seem to notice, and Diwan didn't really mind.

"Cheng? What's up?"

"We just got a transmission from one of the blocs that recently joined us. The Sphere raided the bloc looking for Seijins to take to the Guardian school."

"Are they alright?" Cortes asked, suddenly intent and his eyes worried.

"The bloc's okay. They didn't resist too much and the Sphere didn't hurt anyone they didn't need to... but they've taken a few Seijin kids. Those kids are going to be taken to the Guardian school, Cortes!"

"Alright, alright. Tell everyone to get the Saint Nazaire prepared. We're moving out. Hopefully we can stage some sort of 'random' pirate attack, and get those kids back."

"Okay," Cheng grinned, happy to be able to do something to help. He paused, looking at Diwan for a moment.

"Hi..." Diwan smiled. He was a pretty cute kid.

Cheng seemed uneasy for a brief moment, but then he smiled back. "Hey... I see Cortes decided it was safe to let you have a look around... if he trusts you I guess you must be alright."

"Thanks..."

Cortes sighed. "Go on. We need to get the Saint Nazaire ready."

Cheng nodded, and took off.

"Is he yours? I don't see the resemblance..."

"No," said Cortes, cutting her short a bit sooner than he'd meant to. "He's not mine. But I look after him." He paused for a brief moment, not looking at Diwan. "His parents were killed by the Sphere. A long time ago. I don't think he would even remember them."

"Oh. That's... not really fair."

"No. Now we've got to go get these kids back from the Sphere before they take them to the Guardian school." He scowled, blowing out a frustrated breath.

"Are you okay?" Diwan asked.

Cortes paused. "Taking too much tax is one thing, Diwan," he growled, looking out over Puerto Angel laid out in front of them. "But the Sphere breaks up families. They take children away from their parents. _That's_ not right." He huffed. "Looks like our walk has been cut short. I have to get to the Saint Nazaire..." he turned to head towards the ship.

The handcuff jerked against his wrist. Cortes had forgotten it was there. "Better take you back to your cell first..."

"Cortes, wait." Diwan grabbed his hand. It was right next to hers anyway. "I'm sorry. About the Sphere... about how I helped them. If I'd known what I do now..."

"Diwan..." Cortes sighed. "You don't have to keep apologising. You did once already. I accepted it then. I..." He sort of seemed to realise that she was holding his hand. He looked at their wrists bound together for a moment. Why didn't he want her to let go? He frowned, and forced himself to release her grip.

"Okay... but I want to help..."

He looked up at her, surprised. "Why?"

"I want to come with you on the Saint Nazaire. I want to help with getting these kids back. If what I've been hearing is true, all these things about the Sphere.... what you've said I've done. I want to make up for it. Please!"

Cortes looked at her. Sometimes he couldn't believe she was the same person, other times he found his past memories of her encroaching on how he judged her. But that was getting less frequent. More and more he was finding himself surprised by how different she was. And by how much he just wanted to give her the best chance of not returning to the Sphere as he could. Not just so that she didn't give away Puerto Angel.

He wanted to give her this chance. So strongly it confused him. Then he pushed down the strange emotions and tried to think. He'd let her out of her cell. Was it wise to let her onto the Saint Nazaire? Even just because it was too soon. She'd only been on Puerto Angel for three days. Why was he being so slack about this? It was the safety of Puerto Angel.

"Diwan, I can't," he growled.

"Cortes, I want to help! When you let me out I thought you trusted me... Please, will you let me come on the Saint Nazaire and help? You can still keep an eye on me."

Again, Cortes felt the overwhelming desire to do as she asked. Was it because he trusted her? Should he trust her? She couldn't really cause any trouble if he kept an eye on her. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt..." As he said that, he felt more comfortable with it. He smiled. "I'm glad you're seeing how awful the Sphere is, Diwan. Really."

Diwan smiled. "Thanks." She let her hand brush against his again.

Cortes didn't look down, but he didn't pull his hand away either. "Come on, I'll get you on board. Hopefully everyone will be happy enough to let you help."


	4. Chapter 4

"Why's he let her on the Saint Nazaire?" Mahad whispered to Cheng.

Cheng shrugged. "I guess he's figured she's safe..."

"In three days?"

Cheng shrugged again, but this time he seemed less sure. Cortes letting Diwan out so early he'd been able to accept it. But taking her aboard the Saint Nazaire so soon was just starting to confuse him. "Cortes wouldn't put anyone in danger if he thought there was any chance she'd hurt anyone... so she must be okay."

"Are you sure?" Mahad prodded. "He didn't trust her in the least when we found her... now look at them." He pointed across the bridge to where Cortes had Diwan at the centre console, showing her something on a map he had up on the screen.

"I suppose..." said Cheng, watching them. But Cortes seemed... happy. Wasn't that a good thing? "Are you saying that Diwan's tricked him or something?"

"I don't know..." Mahad muttered. "Maybe he's just starting to like her or something..."

"What?" said Cheng, squinting at Mahad. "Of course he doesn't, he doesn't like the Sphere... or Guardians."

"Well, she's not really a Guardian anymore..." Mahad shrugged. "But I see what you mean. Just three days ago he hated her just because that was what she'd been."

"Yeah... Mahad, what if she did something to him?"

"Huh?"

"To make him let her out, and come on the Saint Nazaire, and... be nice to her!"

"Woah, hang on," Mahad replied. He hadn't meant for Cheng to take him so seriously. He'd just been venting a bit. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Diwan; what might she do to Lena if given the chance? Still, he hadn't exactly bothered to visit her so that he could form a proper opinion of his own. "I don't think so... I just meant..."

"He wouldn't normally let a Guardian out of the brig so quickly, he just doesn't trust that much if there's that much risk..." Cheng dropped his voice even lower, even though the two had already been talking quietly. He didn't really want Cortes to hear him saying that sort of stuff about him.

"Look, I'm just worried 'cause of Lena," said Mahad. He hadn't meant to scare Cheng so much. "You think she's done something to Cortes to make him do what she wants?"

Cheng glanced across at Cortes again, paused and then nodded.

"Well then... it'd be really easy to make him do what _anyone_ wanted, yeah?"

Cheng nodded.

"Okay..." With that, Mahad turned and strode up to Cortes. "Hey, Cortes?"

The Captain turned around. "What, Mahad?" It didn't sound like he was enjoying being distracted from whatever it had been he was showing Diwan.

Even better, Mahad thought. I'm going to get my backside kicked for this, but at least Cheng won't be freaking out. "Do you mind if I borrow a Mosquito?"

"For what?" Cortes growled.

"Just to take a whiz around... take down a few S22s if I see them. I mean, I know I haven't really flown them much, but since losing the Hyperion..."

"Mahad," Cortes started. Then he just trailed off, looking frustrated. His immediate, natural reaction would have been to tell Mahad to stop dreaming. But suddenly he didn't really feel like he could say that. What harm could it really cause? "Just... take it, do whatever you want..." He waved Mahad off, turning back to the screen. Saying no just seemed to cause him too much of headache.

Mahad balked. That had not been what he expected to happen. He quickly recomposed himself, and walked back to Cheng, plastering a grin across his face just before he turned around. "Whoops... bad time I guess... I don't think that proves anything..."

"What do you mean... he did what you wanted?!" exclaimed Cheng. "That was what we were trying to prove!"

_I would have rather proved the opposite_, Mahad thought. "Nah... think I just frustrated him, laid it on a bit too thick..." He put a hand on Cheng's shoulder. "Don't worry, Cheng. Cortes is fine. Guess Diwan is just alright."

Cheng chewed his lip, and nodded.

Mahad wasn't sure if he'd alleviated the boy's fears, or had just confused him further. But he decided that he'd have to keep an eye on Diwan and Cortes. Cortes' reaction had just been... odd. Something may or may not have been going on, but for the sake of his sister and everyone else on the ship... he'd just keep an eye on things.

----

"It shouldn't be long until we catch up on the water carrier that's transporting the children," said Cortes, staring out into the night. He stood outside the bridge with Diwan. He'd let her stay on the bridge while they'd tracked the larger, slower ship. Firstly because he had wanted to keep an eye on her. Secondly because he wanted her to see everything that went on, and, when they caught up on the Sphere ship, how hard the Sphere would fight to keep something that didn't belong to them. Even so, Cortes hoped they could pull this off without a hitch, and none of his crew or the children would get hurt.

Though they had yet to catch up, Diwan had shown a lot of interest in the chase. At first, Cortes had just taken it to the same curiosity she had shown before; simply wanting to learn. But he'd started to realise there was more to it.

"Good…" said Diwan. She stared ahead, as if she could somehow make the water carrier appear if she stared hard enough. "What makes them think they can just take kids like that?"

Cortes wasn't entirely sure if the question was meant to be answered. "I wish I knew," he growled.

Diwan glanced at the Captain for a brief moment. "Cortes… I know you've already done a lot by letting me out and letting me come on the Saint Nazaire with you… but... would you let me help getting the children back? Anything I can do… I don't just want to watch, I want to help."

"Diwan," Cortes sighed. "You don't have to make up for the things you did before. You're not… the same person…"

"But it's wrong!" Diwan cut him off, turning from her inspection ahead to face him.

Cortes blinked, looking back into her eyes. For that one moment, he knew her belief in that statement was entirely true. As if it was just as simply as that. _How could Diwan have changed so much?_ She wanted to help stop the Sphere; simply because she thought what they were doing was wrong. And what they did _was_ wrong. Suddenly, Cortes found he had reached out a hand, lightly brushing it against Diwan's shoulder.

Diwan glanced down at his hand. She didn't pull away, but looked back up at Cortes. Then she lifted her other arm, bringing her hand up to brush a loose strand of hair back into Cortes' ponytail.

At the touch, Cortes snapped back to reality, and pulled back.

"Cortes…"

"I'll think about it…" muttered Cortes, looking anywhere but at Diwan. With that, he turned and stomped down the stairs to the lower deck.

Diwan watched him leave. He'd left her unattended – something she was sure he didn't' really want to do just yet. She must have upset him. She let out a sigh, before turning to head back onto the bridge. She might as well go where the rest of the crew could keep an eye on her, she was sure that would be what Cortes would want.

----

The lower deck rattled as Cortes stepped down onto it and kept walking away from Diwan. He needed to get his head together. What had just happened? _You know exactly what happened._

He barely had time to think beyond that, when he nearly barged into Mahad.

The boy looked suspiciously like he'd just been hiding in the shadows, and had only just now been attempting to sneak away. Cortes' hurried approach, plus the fact the deck was quite dark, had foiled the escape attempt.

"Mahad!"

"Ah… hi Cortes! Perfect time for a… a…" Mahad trailed off, knowing he'd been caught. Besides, he didn't know how to finish that sentence.

Cortes sighed. "What are you doing, Mahad?"

"I… I was just worried about how you've been reacting to Diwan," Mahad fumbled. "Well, actually I think Cheng was…"

"It's none of your business," Cortes snapped.

"It is!" Mahad blurted out. "What if she tries to do something to Lena!?"

"She won't!"

"I'm… starting to think that myself…" Mahad confessed, giving up on that argument. "Look, Cheng thought you were warming to her a bit too fast… he thought she might have done something to you to make you do what she wants." He shrugged. "I just wanted to check for myself."

Cortes paused, scowling at Mahad.

Mahad shifted uncomfortably.

"So, what's your verdict?" Cortes asked, coldly.

Mahad looked even more uncomfortable. "I… well, she definitely didn't do anything to you… well, nothing that you didn't, you know… initiate…"

"Alright, listen, Mahad," said Cortes, sharply cutting him short. "You keep whatever you saw to yourself, you hear?"

"Um… okay…"

"I don't need you or my crew second guessing my decisions. I'm serious, Mahad." Cortes stepped past him, almost pushing him out of the way.

"Well…" Mahad muttered, at a level just loud enough for Cortes to hear, "at least you know she likes you…"

Cortes pretended he didn't hear.

---

"One would think holding such a powerful serum; the ability to make a man do as you wish, you would have utilised it more by now."

Diwan sat up in her bed on the Saint Nazaire with a jerk. But she recognised the voice. When her tired eyes managed to focus in the near darkness, she again saw the nearly transparent man standing in the middle of her room in the moonlight.

"I gave some to him already…" she muttered, a little sleepily.

"But not enough!" the man snapped, causing Diwan to jerk completely into wakefulness. "It takes you two full days to decide, and you've only given it to him once! You expect him to trust you if you do not put more effort into this?"

"But he is trusting me," Diwan argued. "Yes, I've only used this once," she waved her prosthetic arm in the air, "but he is starting to trust me. And only with using it once."

"But not quickly enough," the man growled. "Trust me, you _want_ him to trust you as soon as possible, and preferably, you want him to do whatever you ask."

"I suppose…" said Diwan. Strangely, she still felt that she should trust this mysterious man. She could think of no reason why. But the feeling was almost inbuilt. She had to at least put _some_ value in what he was telling her. "Okay," she said, "I'll give him some more. But Cortes is beginning to trust me without it. I think if I didn't give him anymore, he would eventually come to trust me anyway. But if you think I need to get him to trust me faster… then I'll do it. Provided I'm not hurting him."

The man lifted an eyebrow. "Of course not. Very interesting though… that he trusts you anyway…"

With that, the man again disappeared, leaving Diwan alone.

_He must be some subconscious part of my mind_, Diwan thought. _Perhaps I know I need to give him this so that he'll let me help get the children back._

As she lay back on her pillow, Diwan had thoroughly convinced herself, far faster than the previous two day wait, that this was the right thing to do, and wouldn't hurt Cortes. For some reason, she didn't even question why the syringe had been inbuilt into her prosthetic arm, and why she had never been told about it before.

----

"The water carrier is seven clicks away," said Wayan. "Looks like they've spotted us. They've increased their speed, and released two patrollers."

"Just two?"

"Looks like it. That must be all they had on board."

"Okay. But I bet if we continue approaching they'll call for help…" Cortes paused, thinking.

Mahad was standing next to Cheng at the centre console, practically bouncing on his heels. "I wish I had the Hyperion... Can I take a Mosquito?"

Lena groaned, and rolled her eyes at her brother's over-enthusiasm.

"Not yet, Mahad," said Cortes. "We have to be even more careful. They've got children on board… depending on how important it is to them that they're delivered alive…" he trailed off. "We'll continue approaching, but slowly. Power down our weapons, but keep the shields up. Maybe they'll be willing to just give them up."

"I doubt that…" Mila muttered.

Diwan, standing right next to the other women, glanced across at her. She didn't seem to believe the Sphere would just give up the kids. Diwan didn't either. Perhaps Cortes was just trying to do it the easy way first, so people wouldn't get hurt.

The ship continued towards the water carrier, though as of yet it was only really visible on the computer screens. Up ahead, Diwan wasn't quite sure if she could make out a small grey speck.

The crew was quiet as they drew closer. Steadily, the distance between the two ships decreased, even as the water carrier powered ahead full throttle.

Then the radio activated. "Unknown vessel, be warned you are approaching to within an unauthorised distance of a Sphere vessel without permission. Please change your course immediately, or state your intentions. If you come any closer our patrollers will open fire."

"I'm not sure they realise we're a pirate ship…" said Dahlia.

"Perhaps," said Cortes, unwilling to commit.

"Do we respond?" Wayan asked.

"Continue approaching," Cortes growled, entirely focused on the growing spec of grey in front of the Saint Nazaire.

"The patrollers are attacking!" said Wayan.

Faster than the ship they were escorting, the two Sphere patrollers appeared and seemed to grow in size ahead of them as they quickly approached, heading directly for them. They gave no warning; technically, they had given one already. And the violation of that meant they were willing enough to blast the offending ship right out of the sky, whatever its reason for simply approaching the slower Sphere vessel.

"Wayan, get down to the Mosquitoes," Cortes ordered. "I want to take down those patrollers as quickly as possible."

"Aye, sir." Wayan jumped up, and headed off the bridge.

"Mahad…" said Cortes, watching the boy's reaction carefully. "Go with Wayan, and take a Mosquito. But I just want you to keep those patrollers, and any more that appear away from the Saint Nazaire. Destroy them if you have to."

"What are you serious?!" Mahad exclaimed, just standing there.

"Go on, Mahad!" said Lena, shushing her brother towards the door.

"Ah… right!" Mahad took off after Wayan.

"Dahlia, lets keep heading for the water carrier. Only take on the patrollers if you have to. We might just be able to dock and get aboard."


	5. Chapter 5

The fight didn't last long. The two patrollers were no match for the numerous Mosquitoes. Within minutes, the Saint Nazaire had caught up with the water carrier, and docked.

"Don't water carriers have weapons?" Diwan asked. "They didn't put up any resistance…"

"No," Cortes muttered. "They didn't. But I think they know we're a pirate ship. The water carrier would probably do us little damage…"

"They probably think they have a better chance of fighting us on the ship," said Dahlia. "We are going to board after all. If they don't make any communication or attack, then we have no idea what we're walking into."

"But we still have to go aboard…" Cortes growled. "We don't have much of a choice. We have to get those kids back." He paused for a minute. "Okay, Dahlia, I want you to stay with the ship. Mahad, Wayan, Mila, Lena get some weapons, we're going aboard."

Cortes turned from his spot at the wheel, and nearly ran into Diwan.

"I want to come to."

Suddenly the attention of the whole crew was on both of them.

"Maybe that's not such a good idea…" said Cortes.

"But I want to help!"

"We can do this ourselves. Don't worry, we'll get them back, I promise." Cortes lowered his voice. "But it's not such a good idea that I rush into letting you help with things. I _am_ starting to trust you, but I can't let it look like I'm doing so with out any thought. Do you understand?"

Diwan glared at him. "Alright… but…" She ever so slightly lifted her hand, just enough to brush against Cortes'.

Cortes flinched, looking down at his hand. "What was that?"

"Nothing," said Diwan, "it was nothing."

Cortes believed her.

"You can trust me, though. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Let me prove it by helping you with this. Let me help save these kids."

Cortes opened his mouth, then stopped. He had been going to reiterate what he'd said earlier. But suddenly he didn't want to. He wanted to do what she'd asked. "Alright, alright…" he said, looking frustrated. "Come."

He jumped down from the wheelhouse, followed by Diwan. "Okay, get moving!" he shouted at his crew. They seemed to be collecting their weapons a little more slowly than normal, but somehow Cortes couldn't quite grasp that this was because he'd just let a previous Sphere agent, who'd been with them for less than a week, come on a critical mission.

"Sir…" said Wayan, slinging a rifle over his back and sidling up close to his Captain. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Cortes looked hard at him. "We can trust her, Wayan. She wants to come."

Mahad walked past Cheng, and felt his shirt tugged.

"Mahad, Diwan did something to him!" Cheng whispered.

Mahad knelt down next to him. He thought Cortes was beginning to trust Diwan a little quickly too. But he had seen the reason last night. Sure, that reason would definitely make Cortes do things a little oddly, but it had absolutely nothing to do Diwan doing something nasty to him. Of course, Cortes probably wouldn't want him telling Cheng that he thought Cortes was falling for Diwan. "She hasn't, Cheng, I promise you. Don't worry about it; I'll keep an eye on them."

"But, Mahad," said Cheng, looking up at the older boy like he was about to burst into tears. "I saw. When she touched his hand, she injected him with something! A needle came out of her mechanical hand!"

Mahad started, staring at Cheng. _She did touch his hand…_

"Mahad," Cortes shouted, "come on!"

"I'm sure you just imagined it…" He stood up, clapping a hand on Cheng's shoulder. He jogged out behind Cortes, Diwan and Wayan. _What if Cheng's right?_

----

Oslo stood on the bridge of the overhauled water tanker, scowling. He really disliked this ship. It was basically the body of one of the older, larger water tankers the Sphere had once utilised. Those tankers had been replaced by the sleeker water carriers now used, but some of the older tankers had been overhauled and outfitted with better weapons and computers.

They were, apparently, the perfect ship if your flagship had been destroyed, and you were waiting on a new one to be built. Of course, the Sphere wasn't used to the largest class of ship in their fleet being utterly destroyed. New flagships took ages to build. Normally, one would know in advance when one needed to be built, and rusty old tankers didn't need to be used to fill in.

_I'm the laughing stock of every Guardian in the fleet_, Oslo thought to himself, scowling even more.

"Commander," said a Brig, marching up behind him.

"What is it?" Oslo growled.

"A water carrier has sent out a distress signal from sector twelve."

"Then send someone to deal with it!"

"We have also begun to pick up the transmitter tag from subject 1658. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact location, but it is in close proximity to the distress call of the water carrier."

Oslo smiled faintly. "Looks like you've brought us the pirates, Diwan. Adjust our heading for that distress call. And call in reinforcements."

"Yes, sir." The Brig went to do as it had been asked.

The transmitter they had fitted to Diwan's prosthetic arm, before her memory had been completely wiped, was only small. It had to be to fit in the metal arm without being noticed. It appeared that wherever she had originally found the pirates was beyond the transmitter's range, which was a pity. But at least they would be able to find them now.

They would pay for destroying his ship. And he might even be able to capture Mila and Lena.

----

"All clear…" Cortes stepped cautiously through the ragged opening in the water carrier's hull. The water carrier had not been designed for the pirate ship to dock at an existing entrance, so they'd simply blasted their own. One would have thought such an explosion would alert the occupants of the ship to the presence of the pirates. Cortes was sure it had, they just hadn't shown themselves yet.

Behind him, Diwan, Wayan, Mahad, Mila and Lena slipped through the opening. They all had guns. It was barely noticeable, but both Mahad and Wayan let Diwan through the ragged hole first. Their weapons covered the inside of the water carrier, but they could also easily swing to cover Diwan.

"They're here, somewhere..." muttered Cortes.

"It could be a trap…" suggested Wayan.

"Aye. So we'll split up. There can't be many people on the ship. But there'll likely be at least one Guardian. As well as Brigs."

"We should split up," Mila suggested. "At least if they spring a trap on some of us, they won't catch us all. How many Guardians can they have? Just a few to keep an eye on the kids. The rest will be Brigs."

"It might make more sense if we stick together," said Wayan. "There might not be that many… so if we stick together we'll have a better chance of beating them."

"Alright, stop it!" Cortes shouted suddenly.

Everyone jumped. Mila and Wayan hadn't been fighting; Cortes' reaction had been sudden and uncalled for.

"Just… let me think…" Cortes growled, aware his crew was staring at him. Had he overreacted? But the conflicting opinions had frustrated him. He wanted to listen to both of them, but that was impossible.

"Can we just get going?" grumbled Mahad. Doing nothing frustrated him.

"Alright, alright!" Cortes growled, angry again. They _should_ get going.

"I think Mila's right, we should split up," Diwan put in tentatively.

"Fine," Cortes growled. "Diwan, Mila, you're with me. Mahad and Lena go with Wayan."

"Ah…" said Mahad, "would it be okay if I…"

"Go, Mahad!" Cortes snapped. He adjusted his gun and marched off, not waiting for either Mila or Diwan to follow him.

Wayan sighed. "Come on, Mahad. We'll check out this end of the ship." He walked off in the indicated direction.

Lena and Mahad followed, Mahad glancing over his shoulder as he left. _At least Mum's with them._

Mila and Diwan trailed after Cortes.

_Well, I got him to do what I wanted,_ Diwan thought. She should have realised that while whatever she had given him made him open to what she suggested, it also made him open to what everyone _else_ suggested. Perhaps that was why he had gotten so frustrated, what with all the conflicting suggestions. But it appeared she had been right in assuming that he'd go with the suggestion that had been pushed more, hence why she had tried backing Mila.

_Why did I actually want us to split up though?_ Too many suggestions and Cortes had gotten angry. The others might guess something was up, though they seemed far from connecting the Captain's frustration with her. She wanted it to be easier to get him to do what she wanted. _But why?_ She'd already gotten him to let her help… what more did she want?

----

Mahad, Lena and Wayan made their way cautiously through the bowels of the Sphere ship. As yet, they had only run into three Brigs, all of which had been easily despatched. But as of yet, they had seen no sign of human life.

"Where could they be hiding?" Mahad muttered. He'd just opened a metal door of one of the ship's corridors, and now slammed it shut in disgust.

"I'd hazard a guess we'll find the Guardian's on the bridge…" said Wayan. He whispered, though they were unlikely to be heard. "The kids I'm guessing they'll have locked up somewhere. But Cortes is heading down towards the cells, so hopefully he'll find them."

"So… we're dealing with the Guardians?" Lena asked. Her hands glowed ever so slightly blue.

"If they're where we think they are? Yeah," said Wayan.

A few more moments passed as they carefully made their way towards the bridge.

"We're nearly there…" Wayan said finally. "The bridge will be around this bend, and then through a set of metal doors. But be really careful alright? The Guardians have to be somewhere, and I'll bet it's here. We haven't run into any trouble yet, but this is where we're going to, alright?"

The two children nodded.

"Alright…" Wayan went first, cautiously peering around the corner.

He had to immediately duck back down as a blast of energy flew over his head and left a large burn mark on the wall behind where he had previously stood.

"That's not a Brig…" said Mahad, staring at the giant blast mark, but not game enough to poke his head around the corner and check for himself.

"No…" said Wayan. "It's an automated defence turret. They're usually in an array with sensors, cameras and…"

"Pirates, listen to us! We know you have boarded our ship…"

"Communication equipment…" Wayan muttered.

"Understand that boarding a Sphere vessel without permission is an offence punishable by death under Sphere law," the Guardian continued through the speaker. "However, we know this means nothing to you. Instead, perhaps we should inform you we have no water on this vessel. We do, however, have children. Now, we are sure you wouldn't want anything to happen to them because you've done something stupid, would you? No sense them getting caught up in a fight that isn't even theirs…"

Wayan cursed.

"They've got the kids on the bridge with them?!" said Lena.

"Perhaps…" Wayan growled. Then louder: "Alright! You say you have children? How do we know you're not lying?"

There was a brief pause, and then the communication equipment again activated. "We'll prove it to you."

----

"Commander, we are now within a half hour of the water carrier under attack."

Oslo moved to stand behind the officer who had informed him, and stared ahead out of the window. It appeared to make the officer nervous.

"Excellent…" Oslo smiled. He now stood where the sunlight streamed through the front windshield directly onto him. The extra power never hurt. "We should be just close enough to… yes…"

The officer glanced nervously over his shoulder at Oslo, and then turned his attention back to his console.

"I can feel her from here… we should be close enough for me to deactivate the neural inhibitor…" With that, Oslo reached out his mind, attempting to properly locate and grasp the bio stamp he had linked to Diwan's mechanical arm, which in turn had a feed directly into her brain by thin copper wires, one of which ran to the neural inhibitor. The neural inhibitor, in turn, stopped her from remembering who she really was.


	6. Chapter 6

"The cells should be just around this corner…" Cortes growled, stomping through the Sphere ship. Then he pulled up short directly at the corner the cells were supposed to be around. They were now blocked off by a thick metal door.

"They must've beefed up the security on these ships…" Mila muttered. "They're obviously using them more often for transferring prisoners…"

"They are," offered Diwan. "Prisoners were getting out…" she trailed off, wondering how she had remembered that. _When_ had she remembered that?

Cortes and Mila were staring at her, probably wondering the same thing.

"I just… don't know how I remembered that… it doesn't matter anyway…"

"You're right," Cortes agreed, "doesn't matter…" He turned his attention back to the doorway.

Mila let her attention rest on Diwan for just a second longer before turning away.

"I'm sure there must be a way through this…" Cortes was saying.

Suddenly, for Diwan, everything seemed to fade. _What's happening?_ Memories of the past few months flashed through her mind in reverse. Cortes, being found by the pirates, what she had learned of the Sphere, going out to find out about herself, being taken care of… at this point, the memories changed, surprising her.

----

_Diwan pushed herself shakily to her feet, despite the protests of the nurse. She _would_ be found standing when Commander Oslo entered. Not simply as a sign of respect, but she refused to let Oslo see her in her weakness._

_Her arm was tingling, verging on pain, but she new it wasn't true pain. Because her real arm was gone, and in its place was the mechatronic limb she could only barely control. She still felt a little lightheaded. He body was expending all its energy on healing her. But she could, and would, stand._

_Oslo entered then. He smiled, though it wasn't so much directed at her as at the outcome of the Sphere biomechanics on her body, and what they would be used for. "Ah, Diwan… I see you are ready?"_

"_Yes, Commander," Diwan answered simply._

"_Good, good. We will despatch you to the drop-off point shortly. Now, you do understand that once you are there, your memory will be wiped; you will not remember any of this. Or anything previously."_

"_Yes, Commander. I understand."_

"_But I still expect you to complete your mission. There is no room for failure, Diwan. My scientists tell me they will have implanted enough residual markers that you shall be naturally inclined towards completing the mission, even though you may remember nothing. I hope that is enough, I still am not entirely confident in you yourself. You have almost categorically been nothing but a failure; this is your last chance. You should count yourself lucky that you have been given this chance."_

"_Yes, Commander. I won't fail; that I promise you."_

"_Good. Find the pirates Diwan. I don't care if you gain their trust or otherwise, but find them, and then report back to me. I want Mila and Lena. And if you can get a hold of the coordinates of their bloc... That would be very desirable. I'm not sure how successful you'll be, but you must be good for something."_

_With that, he turned to the nurse. "Prepare her. We'll be arriving at the drop off shortly." He turned, and left the room, without so much as a backward glance at Diwan._

_Diwan waited until he was well out of the room, then let her legs collapse beneath her, overcome by the effort of staying upright. She felt the nurse catch her before she slipped into unconsciousness._

_----_

It was suddenly so clear. And after that memory, everything else Diwan had been snapped back into mind.

"Diwan!" The voice bought her back to reality with a jerk. _Why did this pirate think he could shout at her!?_

Cortes was looking at her, seeming slightly confused. "Did you hear me? You seemed a bit out of it for a moment there…"

Diwan blinked, biting down the response to attack her enemy. But Cortes thought she was a friend. She had to keep up the pretence, for now. "I… I'm sorry it won't happen again…"

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay…"

"I've got it…" said Mila, as the lock in the doorway clicked. She'd been prying at the keyhole with a tendril of Seijin energy.

Cortes looked at Diwan for a second longer before turning back to Mila and the doorway.

For a brief moment, Diwan had thought he'd reprimand her as Oslo would have. Being distracted was not good form. But she remembered in the week she'd known Cortes – well, knew him without her true memories – she knew he didn't handle his crew the way Oslo handled his underlings. _It's a weakness_, she quickly told herself. _It's a wonder they listen to him at all._

And yet, Diwan didn't mind not being attacked for a brief mistake. _I'm letting my memories from this week get in the way_, she thought. _I have a job to do. And whatever I thought back this last week doesn't matter. I was foolish and ignorant; I knew nothing._

Cortes and Mila had now pushed in through the doorway. Cortes swung around the muzzle of his gun; expecting an attack to come at any moment.

There was one Brig in the cells. It barely raised its weapon before Cortes sent a blast into its chest and sent it sliding down the opposite wall, inactive.

"Hello!?" Mila called out, her hands glowing blue ever so slightly. "Is anyone in here?"

Cortes marched up to one of the cells, and flung open the door. Empty. He flung open a few more, getting less cautious as he opened more and more. "There's no one here. They've moved them, or…" he trailed off and scowled.

"Perhaps we should get to bridge and help the others," said Mila. "They may have the kids up there."

"Good idea…" Cortes nodded.

_Of course he'd agree_, Diwan thought. Did she want them to do that, or should she contradict Mila? It might be best to keep everyone apart. Or… surely the rest of the pirates cared enough about Mila and Cortes to not let them get hurt. If the other pirates already had an advantage up the front of the ship, she could turn that. She could capture all the pirates, and Mila and Lena. She might not know the exact location of Puerto Angel, but she knew its name. And if they had the pirates, perhaps they could be convinced to give up the exact coordinates of its location – something Cortes had been smart enough not to tell her, and something she hadn't bothered to ask about. Foolish! He would have told her if she asked, especially with the drugs she'd given him still in his system.

"Perhaps we should stay here…" Diwan suggested. Then she wondered what reason to give. _Why_ should they stay?

"Why?" Mila asked, ever so slightly suspiciously.

Cortes frowned. Evidently, he wanted to do what Diwan said _as well_. But, of course, it was a stupid thing to do. He was obviously struggling between the suggestion and his own logic.

Diwan didn't have time for this. She no longer needed to convince anyone. She was a Guardian.

Before Mila could even raise her hands to defend herself, Diwan had thrown her into the wall with a blast of energy, knocking her unconscious.

"Diwan!" Cortes snarled, raising his gun to cover her. Despite the drugs in his system, this still made him angry, and whatever opinion he had of her before didn't stop him from looking very much like he was prepared to shoot her, should she make any wrong moves.

Diwan watched him, her hands glowing blue. She _might_ be able to knock the gun from his hand before he shot. Then again, there was still a slight chance he would manage to shoot though her defences and actually hit her. But, she had a much more effective idea.

She smiled slightly, and the energy on her hands dissipated. Then she held her hands above her head.

Cortes eyed her warily. He looked angry, very confused, and perhaps just a little bit betrayed. It was the part of Diwan that had spent the last week with him that noticed the look of betrayal on his face. He almost seemed upset. That look, for a moment, almost made Diwan stall. _What am I thinking? I've got a job to do._

"What are you playing at?!" Cortes growled, he moved ever so slightly closer, still covering Diwan well with the gun. If she tried to blast him or gain more power now, he could easily shoot her. "How long have you been planning this!?"

For a moment, she didn't answer.

"How long!?" Cortes shouted.

"Cortes…" Diwan said, pushing an insincere smile onto her face. "Drop the gun…"

"I…" Cortes blinked. He was sweating, and now looked even more confused. Putting down the gun was the most illogical thing to do in the situation. And yet…

Cortes' hands shook, and his finger slid off the trigger, the muzzle of the gun dropped towards Diwan's feet. Suddenly, it clattered from his grasp onto the floor. He stared at it, almost unsure of how he'd let it fall.

Diwan flung a tendril of energy at the fallen weapon, knocking it well out of Cortes' reach. "Now, why don't you go and sit quietly over there with Mila, hmm?"

----

Wayan, Lena and Mahad were waiting. They didn't know what else to do. The Guardians had told them they'd prove they had the children.

Then the door to the bridge opened, briefly. Just a slight crack.

Wayan raised up his gun.

A boy about eight years old was shoved outside. He looked scared. And when he looked up and saw Wayan's gun, he stepped back, but bumped into the now shut door.

Wayan quickly lowered the gun. "It's alright, we're here to help you… come over here, quick." He wanted to get the boy away from the defence equipment, though it seemed uninterested in attacking him just yet.

They boy seemed nervous for a moment, but then perhaps remembered what was on the other side of the door. He ran over to them, and threw his arms around Wayan's waist, burying his face in the man's jacket.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe now…" said Lena, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Wayan took him by the shoulders, and pulled him gently away from his chest. He knelt down in front of him. "Hey, kid. What's your name?"

"It's Steven."

"Okay, Steven; how many others have they got? How many of your friends?"

Steven sniffed. "There're six of us all together. They took us because we're Seijins. I tired to tell them I wasn't very good, but they wouldn't listen."

"Look, it's okay now," Wayan continued. "We're here to rescue you. But we might need your help. Can you tell us anything about what's in there that might help us? We can't just run in there, because we know they might hurt the other kids…"

Steven nodded. "Yeah… they said they would… anyway, I'm not sure. There's about half a dozen Brigs in there. But just one Guardian."

"Six Brigs…" said Mahad. "That's a lot. One for each kid…"

"We need to get rid of the Brigs…" Wayan muttered.

"I've got an idea! I think…" said Lena. "If I can communicate with the other kids… I might be able to help them destroy the Brigs all at once." She concentrated hard for a moment.

"Well…?" said Mahad.

"They're not… I don't think they trust me enough…"

"They might… trust me?" said Steven. "But I don't know what you're doing… I probably can't do it…"

"It's okay, you just need to help me," said Lena, taking the boy's hand. "I'll reach them, and tell them what to do. You just convince them to trust me."

Steven nodded, and together they closed their eyes for a brief moment.

"Well…?" said Mahad again, as he grew impatient.

There was suddenly a loud bang from the bridge of the water carrier.

Lena's eyes flew open. "We did it… but I think the Guardian's mad…"

Steven slumped in her arms, exhausted from the effort of using his limited powers.

Mahad marched up to the keypad that would open the door to the bridge.

"Mahad!" Wayan yelled. He drew up his gun just in time to send a blast into the defence turret in the ceiling, right before it shot Mahad.

Mahad didn't even seem to notice. "We've got to get in before the Guardian does something to the kids…" He smacked his boomerang into the keypad, and it fizzled as wires and circuitry was damage. The door hissed open.

The Guardian stood in the middle of the bridge, the Seijin children backed into a corner, damaged Brigs fallen around her. Evidently, she did not realise there had been any outside influence on the destruction of the Brigs. She thought the children had done it. She also didn't seem to realise she was in trouble.

"Now, if you don't tell me exactly what you did right now…!"

"HOLD IT!" Wayan shouted, raising his weapon.

The Guardian spun around, hands glowing ever so slightly. She seemed unsure whether she really wanted to take on the man with the gun.

"Power down," Wayan ordered. "And step away from them."

The Guardian glared at him a moment longer and then grudgingly complied.

* * *

**A/n: **Reviews are always appreciated. Especially ones with concrit. :)


	7. Chapter 7

"Answer me, Diwan. What are you playing at?" Cortes had gone and sat down next to Mila's semi-conscious form, just as Diwan had suggested. He wasn't happy. But he couldn't understand why he found it so easy to do everything she told him. Was he really so weak? Had he been so taken in by her that she'd tricked him and he hadn't even had a clue?

"I have a mission, Cortes," she growled, unable to put up with the continued question any longer. "I was sent out here to find you pirates, and do as much damage as possible. I think handing you and your crew, and Mila and Lena over will more than accomplish this."

"Why?" Cortes barked. "I thought…" he trailed off, looking at the ground. "You didn't want to, earlier. You are not that good an actor, Diwan. What changed? Why _now_?"

"I've remembered who I was. And that person has a mission."

"When?"

"Only just now. On this ship. Feel a little better? You're not so blind you didn't notice I was really 'evil' all along…"

"You're trying to tell me the Sphere gave you a mission… but you didn't remember it until now...?"

"You want to believe I tricked you? Would that make you feel better?"

Cortes glared at her.

"The Sphere took away my memory before I came out here. Otherwise, they knew I wouldn't be able to convince you."

"So… everything that happened up until now. Everything you learnt… you believed the Sphere was evil…"

"Only because I had nothing to compare those lies to!" Diwan snapped.

"You compared it to what you could see around you, Diwan! You only don't believe it now because you've got everything the Sphere lied to you about blotting it out. I know you were convinced before. Diwan, the Sphere took away your memories. Doesn't that bother you? And look what they did to these kids! That meant something to you before!"

"It doesn't now!"

"Are you sure?" Cortes growled. "You're still the same person. You might remember about the Sphere. But I know you remember what happened since they took your memory, up until you remembered again. _That_ is real too."

"Why do you want to convince me?" Diwan growled. "Why do you care?"

"I…" Cortes trailed off.

"Tell me," Diwan demanded, almost giving Cortes no choice.

"I thought…" Cortes paused for the briefest of moments, but couldn't fight against complying with Diwan's suggestion. "I wanted you to change. After I talked to you in the cell… I wanted to give you a second chance. I thought you would change, you were changing. I was sure you would. I… I started to care about you… probably more than I should have…" He was now staring at the ground. He hadn't wanted to share this with Diwan.

Diwan growled, and then knelt down in front of him so he had to look at her. "Really…" She looked into his eyes. He was serious. Of course, she'd made him tell her. "No, you didn't," she snapped. "You only thought you did. Everything you thought you felt about me…" She held up her hand. "… was because of this."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Diwan held her arm close to Cortes, pulling off her glove. Out of the tip of her finger, a small needle protruded, squirting a small amount of liquid. "That. It's a drug that makes you open to suggestions. I ask you to drop your gun, you comply, got it? And I ask you to trust me… to let me out of my cell…" She trailed off, smiling as she could see Cortes understand. "You _thought_ you trusted me…"

Cortes swallowed. "That might be true. But I didn't want to drop my gun. I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop myself. I trusted you because I wanted to trust you; just because you told me to didn't matter. If I didn't want to trust you, I would have felt I couldn't, but just done it anyway. I trusted you, Diwan. That's a fact." He looked up at her now right in the eye. "I don't trust you now, but I know enough about you to think there might be some hope…"

"You've known me for what, a week!?" Diwan interrupted. "Don't pretend you know me!"

"You don't have to do this, Diwan! I still think you're smart enough to understand this, you've seen enough, I know you cared about what the Sphere does. I _want_ you to just listen…"

How dare this pirate think he knew her? How _dare_ he pretend to care about the choices she made. "Shut _up_!" she snarled. Before she knew what she was doing, Diwan had pulled back her metal hand and backhanded Cortes across the side of his face.

Cortes' head struck the wall behind him from the force of the impact. He let out a brief grunt, but didn't make any other noise. He blinked a couple of times, and then coughed and spat a glob of saliva and blood out onto the ground. He wouldn't look back up at Diwan.

Diwan stared at him for a moment more, almost not believing she had done it. Why did she feel bad about this?! She had done far worse to pirates she had come across, and God knew they deserved it. She growled to herself, and then stood up. Cortes would stay quiet now; she had told him to shut up. It was now time for the rest of her plan. She stood up, briefly checked to see that Mila was still unconscious, and then made her way over to a communication point on the wall. She activated it, and told it to contact the bridge.

----

Mahad had just finished securing the Guardian's wrists with a couple of cable ties when the communication equipment on the bridge activated.

"_This is Diwan, can anybody hear me?"_

Wayan stepped over and activated the console. "This is Wayan… we've found the children…" he hesitated slightly. A part of him still was cautious of Diwan. Why had Cortes gotten her to call them?

"_Have you got them safe?"_

"Yeah… we've secured the bridge… is Cortes there?"

"_Yes, he's here… but I'm not sure he can talk at the moment…"_

Wayan felt uncomfortable. "Diwan… I'd really like to talk to him…"

"_Well, let's put it this way: if you want to talk to Cortes, if you want to see him or Mila again. I suggest you hand back over the bridge to whoever is up there, and give them your weapons. You have five minutes; I'll be calling to check on you."_ With that, the transmission cut out.

"I knew it!" Mahad exclaimed, dashing over beside Wayan. "Cheng was right!"

Wayan was just staring, a little dumbstruck at the console. He turned to Mahad. "What…?"

"Cheng thought he saw Diwan do something to Cortes on the Saint Nazaire. Maybe she's been playing him… or… I don't know…"

"I think you should do what she says…" muttered the Guardian, glaring at them. She was sitting on one of the chairs next to a corner console. Mahad had secured her wrists, but had yet to secure her to the chair, as he'd been distracted by the transmission. It was something the Guardian chose, for the moment, not to let on about.

"I think you should just keep quiet…" said Mahad.

"She's got Mum as well…" said Lena. She'd settled Steven and the other Seijin children down in a corner. As yet, it was probably unsafe to move them out to the Saint Nazaire. With Diwan's transmission, it had probably gotten even more dangerous. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Well…" Wayan muttered, "we have five minutes to think about it…"

----

Cortes stared at Diwan's back as she spoke through the communication point. He knew he should get up, maybe try and get back the gun, or try to jump her. Do… anything! Somehow, he couldn't. Even knowing that he was under the influence of some sort of drug didn't make it any easier to fight it. Every time he thought of getting up, of going against Diwan's suggestion, it made his head pound and he couldn't even think clearly of what he would do _after_ he got up. The drug didn't want him to consider anything different, far less actually do it.

He should never have trusted Diwan. He should've known better. He'd gotten carried away, and somehow Cortes wasn't sure he could blame it all on the drug. He really _had_ thought Diwan was going to change. But he'd been wrong. Now, she didn't want to change, she was the same person as she was before. And that person didn't want to change. She'd made that clear.

At the moment, Cortes just couldn't forgive himself for putting his crew in danger just for her.

Then, Cortes felt movement beside him.

"Wha…?" Mila shifted up from the wall slightly, blinking blearily.

"Shh…" said Cortes.

"What happened?" Mila asked, still a little out of it, but awake enough to know Cortes wanted her to be quiet.

"Diwan…" Cortes let that sentence trail off. "I shouldn't have trusted her. It's my fault."

Mila looked up across the room, taking in what was going on. "Then stop her… she's not looking. I don't think I'm strong enough to blast her."

"I can't," Cortes growled. He looked down at the floor, angry at his weakness.

"Has she tied you up?"

Cortes sighed, and spread his hands where she could see them. No bonds. "No. She's been drugging me. Since we were on Puerto Angel. I was so… I didn't even notice. Whatever she gave me makes me open to suggestions. She told me to sit here… so I don't really feel like doing anything else…"

"What if I suggested you got up and whacked her over the head?"

Cortes gritted his teeth. "That's just making it more confusing…."

"Sorry."

"Just pretend you're still out. If you're not strong enough to get her now, it might be best if she doesn't know you're awake yet." He huffed. "There's no way I can get us out of this… I shouldn't have trusted Diwan. I was just being stupid."

Mila gave his hand a quick squeeze. "It's alright. It's not your fault."

Cortes huffed again. "She's trying to get them to relinquish control of the bridge in exchange for us. Do you think you're strong enough to maybe communicate with Lena?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"Good. Then tell her they're not to make the exchange. They're not to give up control of the bridge or those children, no matter what Diwan says, or does to us. Are you okay with that?"

Mila nodded. "Definitely…" She closed her eyes, resting back against the wall. She appeared to be still unconscious, but was in fact making contact with her daughter.

----

"Well, we have to think of something!" said Mahad, waving his arms around.

"Mahad…" Wayan sighed. He was trying to think. Asides from distracting him, Mahad's apprehension seemed to be upsetting the children.

"Um… guys?" said Lena. "Mum was just talking to me…"

Mahad's eyes widened, and he ran over to his little sister and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine… but… she says that Cortes says we're not to give into Diwan, no matter what she says or does. We can't hand over the bridge to the Guardian…"

Wayan sighed. "Yeah, that sounds like Cortes. And he's probably right. But we've got to think of something to get them out…"

"Um…" said Lena. "Speaking of the Guardian… did anyone see where she went?"

"What!?" said Wayan. He looked over to the chair where the woman had last sat. He then ran over to it, waving his gun around, just in case she should jump out from behind a console or something. She didn't; she was nowhere to be seen.

"She slipped out about two minutes ago…" said a small girl quietly. "I thought you guys would've noticed…"

"You could've told us!" groaned Mahad.

"Weren't you supposed to tie her up, Mahad?" said Lena.

"I… oh… whoops…"

"Great…" Wayan groaned. "Maybe you two should try and find her?"

"Yeah okay…" said Mahad.

It was at that moment that the communications system reactivated. _"Well,"_ Diwan's voice came over the system. _"… five minutes is up. What's your decision!?"_

Wayan growled, and stomped over to the communications console, then slammed an open palm down on the button to activate his end. "I'd love to hand the bridge over to your Guardian, Diwan, but she just left."

"_Oh really? Well, you'll have to think of something to give me confidence in the fact you're cooperating. Now, what is that going to be? I need to know, or someone down here is going to get hurt…"_

Wayan drew in a breath. "We're not letting you get these kids, Diwan. We're not giving up the bridge."


	8. Chapter 8

Diwan scowled at the communications point, as if the man on the other end could somehow see her. "Do you think I'm playing a game here?"

"_No, I know you're not,"_ Wayan replied. _"But I'm not either. I can't give you the bridge, no matter what you do…"_

"No matter what I do? Well, what about if I did do something…" Diwan spun around, locating Mila and Cortes. She'd show him she meant business.

Cortes was now looking at her again, his eyes angry. But he still appeared unable to stop her. "What's wrong, don't have the heart to stop me?" she snarled. He was mad at her already, that Diwan could tell. If she hurt him more, maybe he'd stop trying to care about whether she would 'change' or not. She was sure she'd nearly convinced him.

Diwan saw the gun Cortes had dropped on the ground, and bent to pick it up. Her Seijin powers could knock someone down just as easily, but the crude weapon would probably hurt more. "Now," she said, loud enough for the communication equipment to pick up, "which one of you wants to go first? Might have to be you, Cortes; I don't think _she_ is going to be very responsive. Unless, you want to tell your man to give up the bridge? I'm sure he can hear you."

"No…" Cortes growled.

"Really? I don't have to make it a question. I can _make_ you do it."

"And before you do, I can tell Wayan not to listen to anything I say from this point on."

Diwan snarled, and pointed the gun at the centre of Cortes' chest. Her lip twitched slightly, and she moved it over to his leg. "I'll ask one more time…"

It was at that moment that Mila seemed to fly awake. Her eyes sprung open, and before Diwan knew it she had a ball of energy in her hands. That energy sprang from them and hit Diwan in the centre of her chest, flinging her backwards.

It wasn't as powerful as Diwan has expected, and only left her slightly dazed. But then Mila had gotten up, and stood up over her, another blast of energy forming in her hands.

Diwan rolled out of the way as the energy slammed into the floor where she had been a second before. Then she formed her own ball of energy in her hands, and flung it at Mila.

Mila wasn't fast enough to move out of the way, and was flung back, slamming again into the wall.

Cortes grabbed her as she tried to sit back up. She was too weak to keep on fighting. "I'm alright…" she said, though her eyes wandered.

"But you won't be for long…" Diwan had picked the gun back up, and pointed it dead straight at Mila.

"Diwan, stop…" Cortes growled. He let Mila drop back to the floor, and then stood in front of her. "You're mad at me, not her…"

"I'm not angry at anyone!" Diwan snapped. "I'm simply doing my job!"

"Yes, you're angry!" Cortes shouted back. "What are you, emotionless?! You were angry before, but at the Sphere…"

"Oh not this again!"

"Don't tell me everything that happened when you'd lost your memory meant nothing. Everything you saw…"

"Everything when I lost my memory? Or everything when I was with _you_!? Which is it really, Cortes?"

"I thought you could change…"

"You were wrong. Now, get out of the way. That isn't a suggestion; it's an _order_."

Cortes gritted his teeth, feeling the drug pull at him. "No…"

"You have to, and you know it…"

Cortes felt his body tense, and the blood pound through his head. He wanted to move, so badly it hurt. But he knew that would mean Mila's death or at least her getting seriously injured. "I said… no…"

Diwan pushed the gun so the muzzle was right in his chest. "Move!" she shouted. He was _supposed_ to listen to her!

"You want to hurt someone…" Cortes choked out, "then shoot me instead."

Diwan tensed, her finger moved closer to the trigger. This close, the gun would kill Cortes. _Why don't I want him to die!?_

Cortes wasn't looking straight at her, perhaps just waiting for the trigger to be pulled. When it didn't come, he looked back up at her, and then reached a hand up to grab the gun. For a moment, they both held the weapon together.

Then suddenly the gun was snatched from Diwan's grip. Cortes held it up, right in her face. "Get back…"

Diwan took a single step backwards. She wasn't frightened; she could tell him to drop it. He had only not listened to her about stepping aside because he _really_ didn't want Mila to die. Either that or the drug was wearing off…

"Well, what are you waiting for? Just…"

"Don't!" Cortes shouted cutting her off. "Unless you really want me to kill you."

Diwan started. That had nearly been a costly mistake. She smiled, ever so slightly. "Alright. How about you give me the coordinates to Puerto Angel instead?"

Cortes blinked, and his expression said he feared he might actually do it. He drew in a sharp breath, closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "No…" he snarled out, though doing so almost seemed to cause him great pain.

"Fine," said Diwan. She should have known. He hadn't moved for Mila – her death was something he definitely didn't want to happen. How much more wouldn't he give her the coordinates to Puerto Angel? He knew the Sphere would kill every pirate they found there. "It doesn't matter anyway. I know you bloc's name, at the very least." She leaned in close to Cortes. "…Puerto Angel."

Cortes almost shuddered as she said the name.

"Let's try this one then. Let me go."

Cortes drew in a breath. Gritted his teeth. He tried to fight it again.

But Diwan knew he couldn't. She had the slightest feeling that the smallest part of him might not want to kill her either.

The muzzle of the gun dropped lower. Cortes tried to keep it up, his breath chugging in as he struggled to think clearly. He lost. The gun was now pointed at the ground, and Cortes stared blankly at it. "Looks like you get a second chance Diwan… but now you don't know if I really wanted to give you one…"

Diwan scowled. She leaned in close so Cortes had no choice but to look at her. "I don't. Care," she snapped. Then she turned around and walked out of the cell area. She didn't need to hurry; Cortes wasn't going to stop her.

Cortes watched the Guardian's retreating back, then just growled and slumped back against the wall next to Mila. Diwan would leave. They were both safe.

"_Cortes!?"_ the communication system blared. _"Mila? What's going on; are you guys alright?"_

Cortes sighed, and stood back up.

Mila stood, a bit more tentatively, behind him. She still felt dizzy.

"Wayan? It's alright, we're both fine…" Cortes pressed his hand against he communication point.

"_Good! What happened to Diwan?"_

Cortes paused, his hand pausing over the button that would enable Wayan to hear his voice. Finally, he pressed down upon it. "She's gone…" he said simply. "I guess to get away in an S22."

----

Mahad and Lena dashed down in to the Sphere water carrier's docking bay, just in time to see Diwan and the Guardian both board one of the S22's stored in the larger ship.

"Diwan!" Lena shouted after her. "Stop!"

The other Guardian looked startled, and dashed into the patroller with a quick: "Come on!" directed at Diwan.

Diwan paused, glaring down at the younger girl.

"I don't think she has Cortes or Mum…" said Mahad, grabbing his little sister by the shoulder.

"But…"

"Maybe we should just leave them…" Mahad didn't want his little sister getting hurt. Diwan had tricked them all. What if she was somehow more powerful than she was before? He knew he was being almost paranoid, but this was his little sister he was thinking about.

Diwan seemed to realise she wasn't going to get attacked. She seemed to think for a moment herself, and then took a step back towards the open hatch of the ship. "I'll get you next time, Lena. I may not be exactly sure where you're bloc is… but at least I know which bloc to ask for!" With that, she turned on her heel and ran into the S22.

Barely seconds later, the docking clamps disengaged and the small ship slid out of the open belly of the water carrier.

"Well…" Mahad muttered, watching the ship leave. "I guess now we know you can't trust a Guardian…"

----

Diwan let the other woman pilot the S22. She knew she should have reprimanded her for her failure to bring the Seijin children all the way to the Guardian school. But she knew her own failure was much worse.

"We're clear…" the Guardian muttered, sweating. She didn't seem to want to hang around too much longer than necessary. However, the relatively safe confines of the Sphere patroller were giving her extra confidence. She positioned the S22 so the water carrier was between their ship and the Saint Nazaire. Then, she powered up the weapons.

"What are you doing?" Diwan snapped.

"If I can hit the power relays, I can seriously damage the water carrier, perhaps even destroy it…"

Diwan knew that much already.

"If they won't let us take those children to the Guardian school, where they belong, then they shouldn't be able to have them either. The last thing the rebellion needs is more Seijins…"

Diwan tensed, and for a moment almost didn't know why. Before her memory had returned, she had thought that the Sphere taking the Seijin children was completely wrong. When she'd remembered again, she'd realised that was simplistic and foolish, and simply wrong. The rebellion didn't need more Seijins, and the children themselves deserved a far better upbringing than that they would receive among the common people. But to destroy them just because they couldn't bring them all the way to the Guardian school….? Had she even felt this way before!? Before she'd lost her memory? Diwan couldn't remember. Suddenly, all she could see was that expression on Cortes' face as he'd told her about how the Sphere split up families… She shook her head, clearing the image from her mind. What she did now was because of her own opinions, and had nothing to do with what she'd thought these last few months. Or with Cortes.

"No!" she snapped, putting a hand on the Guardian's shoulder and physically pulling her back from the controls. "The… pirate ship. You know how angry destroying the crew they have on the water carrier will make them? Them against our single patroller; you know we wouldn't survive!"

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't think of that…"

"Just get us out of here," Diwan snapped.

The S22 shot away into the sky, a few blasts of energy following from the Saint Nazaire. The large ship itself, however, did not follow.

----

The Saint Nazaire was home. They'd taken the Seijin children back to their bloc, without incident, and returned them to their families.

As far as could be told, there had been no retaliation from the Sphere. It didn't seem they'd come a second time, they hadn't realised the pirates had intended to take the children home.

As Cortes walked the dirt path up to the lighthouse, he wondered whether Diwan had neglected to tell the Sphere they'd attacked for the purpose of returning the children intentionally, or if she'd simply gotten mixed up with the return of her memory and forgotten. He dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. He shouldn't still be thinking like that. He'd put Puerto Angel in enough danger as it was.

He sharply rapped on the Vector's door, and then walked in without waiting for a reply. He found the older man at the top of the lighthouse, doing something on Puerto Angel's computer system.

"Cortes, I'm very busy at the moment," said the Vector, without even looking up.

Cortes didn't reply, and just waited.

The Vector eventually looked up, and saw neither anger nor frustration on the Captain's face; the emotions the man would normally display if he thought the Vector was needlessly wasting his time. He sighed, and pushed back the computer. "You're not still worried about Diwan, are you?"

Cortes sighed, and stepped away from the desk.

"Cortes," the Vector got up, following him. "It's been almost a week. Now, don't you think if she were going to give some piece of information that would enable them to find Puerto Angel, we'd know already? The Sphere wouldn't waste any time."

"I know that," said Cortes. "I know I wasn't foolish enough to give her the coordinates, though… I know I came close…"

"That wasn't your fault…"

"It _was_ my fault for trusting her in the first place…"

"For all you know you may have been right then. Her attitude may have simply changed when her memory returned."

Cortes huffed. "That doesn't put Puerto Angel in any less danger…"

"How do you expect her to find us?"

"She knows the bloc's name! That means she can ask!" Cortes snapped.

The Vector sighed, and came and stood behind Cortes. "We're fine Cortes, I promise you."

Cortes let out another huff of air. He could have pointed out that the Vector couldn't possibly know that; but he wanted to believe him. "I… I did trust her Vector. But now I don't know if that was because of that drug she gave me. And I don't know if I was right to trust her; if that just changed because of her memory. Or whether that should make any difference at all. The truth is…" here, he paused. "I think I was starting to… I wanted to trust her… I was…"

Cortes hadn't shared this with the Vector before, but it didn't take him long to catch on. It was obviously difficult for the Captain to get out. "You wanted her to come to our side, didn't you?"

Cortes nodded.

"You started to fall…"

Cortes drew in a sharp breath. "Don't… I shouldn't have brought it up. It doesn't matter now."

The Vector let his hand rest on Cortes shoulder. "It isn't a fault to care, Cortes. No matter who she was."


End file.
